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Reloading means rebuilding fired cartridges with a new primer, powder and bullet. People do it to save money, to make ammunition that suits their gun, and because they enjoy the work. Here's how it works and what you need.
Before anything else
Reloading is safe when you follow published data and pay attention, but a mistake can destroy a gun or injure you. These guides explain the tools and terms. They don't give charge weights, and they don't replace a reloading manual.
- Only use load data published by powder or bullet makers. Start at the listed starting load and work up. Never go past the listed maximum.
- Keep one powder on the bench at a time. Label anything you pour out, and if you can't identify a powder, don't use it.
- Wear safety glasses, and don't smoke near powder or primers.
- Reload with no distractions. If you get interrupted, go back and check the batch you were working on.
- Wash your hands after handling brass, bullets and primers: they can carry lead.
Guides
How a round gets made
Every reloader follows these same steps, whatever press they use. On a single-stage press you do each step for the whole batch before moving on; on a progressive, most of them happen with each pull of the lever.
Clean and inspect
Clean fired brass, then check each case. Throw out any with cracks, splits or a loose primer pocket.
Lube and size
Lube the case and run it into the sizing die. That returns it to shape and pushes out the spent primer.
Measure and trim
Brass stretches. Measure the case, trim any over the maximum, then chamfer and deburr the mouth.
Prime
Press in a new primer until it sits just below flush with the head.
Charge
Add the weighed powder charge from published load data. Look into every case to catch a missed or double charge.
Seat
Press in the bullet to the length your load data gives, and measure the result.
Crimp, where needed
Close the case mouth on the bullet. Most handgun rounds need this; many bolt-rifle rounds don't.
Check and record
Check the round, box it and label it. Write down what you built so you can repeat it.
The numbers behind reloading
What your ammunition really costs, how to compare what stores charge and how to tell whether a load is any good.
How to work out your true cost per round
The price on the jug is only part of the answer. Here's how to count everything that ends up in a loaded round, with every step worked through.
How to compare powder and primer prices across stores
The cheapest shelf price doesn't always make the cheapest order. Compare in the same unit, then count what it costs to get the order to your door.
First in, first out costing for reloading components
You rarely pay the same price twice for the same powder. First in, first out is a simple rule for knowing what each batch actually cost.
How to measure group size and convert it to MOA
Calipers, a little subtraction and one conversion will give you group numbers that you can compare between loads and distances.
How to test your handloads against factory ammunition
A box of good factory ammunition is a useful yardstick. It shows whether your load is better than what you could simply buy, and what the difference costs.
Keep your records straight
Every load you build should be written down: components, lot numbers, charge and length. AmmoLoader keeps those records, tracks what your rounds cost and shows which loads shoot best.